brian winslade says that i’m a stream-of-consciousness communicator. this is true probably 90% of the time. but there are moments, late at night, when my journal becomes a very structured record of what’s going on. then there are times like this where it just feels like there is so much crammed in my head, some of these thoughts need space to live somewhere outside of my brain.

1.make sure there is always someone in your life you’d be willing to lay yours down for. it’s a humbling way to keep your own priorities in perspective. friends to die for are friends worth living with. find them and learn to love them really well, how they need to be loved. you’ll be filled with love in the process.

2.fall in love on a regular basis. it will change your perspective. fall in love with people, your family first – only fall in love with one lover at a time – then your friends. they are who makes you, shapes you and tells you the truth most often. you need to love them enough to listen. fall in love with ideas, ideals and the bigger picture. hope in the more eternal things will give you perseverance in the day-to-day. fall in love with the small moments that make your heart big – places where you find generosity, peace, love and good wine.

3.get a big God. one that isn’t scared of impossible and unimaginable things. too many of us live with a little itty-bitty God that can’t seem to handle the things we battle with. so we work too hard protecting and defending our little God from the things that don’t really matter, and make a poor name for ourselves in the process. get a big God that isn’t bothered by the small stuff – for Greater is He that is in Us, with Us, alongside Us – than he that is in the world. (thanks Rob Harley)

4.be a river, not a flood. floods sure have bulk, and impact – but they run without purpose and stop only when they can go no further and they’ve covered everything with messy water. rivers cut a course through the earth, can shift direction, bring life and fertility to the earth surrounding them, rather than destroying life. being a river reflects a willingness to leap into the stream, to find direction, to lead and let others follow you, to be comfortable with responsibility, prepared to grow up. being a river reflects a certain amount of clarity and purpose. a flood goes everywhere in confusion until it stagnates, but a river is always moving.

5.where there is a vision, a purpose, a call – there is clarity. if there is no clarity, put your tools down until the vision becomes clear. there is no timeline but God’s on a vision that is truly from Him. plenty of good ideas disguise themselves as vision until the moment where clarity is required comes. clarity is a close friend of wisdom, mercy and grace. it doesn’t always mean everything is clear all at once, but clarity is actually only required step by step. faith takes care of the rest.

6.believe in someone & find people who’ll consistently offer up their belief in you. believe in God, that will give you hope. believe that together you can make a difference that will change at least one person, and maybe affect the world for the rest of us, the universe for the rest of time. humanity finds itself perfected in a partnership with divinity.

7.consistency and integration are key to surviving life with hope, effectiveness and a growing faith. you’ve got to learn not to be blown around in the wind of people-pleasers or hidden agendas. openness and honesty about what you’re looking will go a long way in regards to finding it. once you learn to stand on your own two feet you’ll be surprised how much you can lean on the people who’ll be drawn around you.

8.learn to say what you mean, when you need to say it. speaking hard truths in love requires practice so it does little good to wait until the measure of your wisdom gives you undue confidence in the endeavour of loving people well. being practising now, so that as your wisdom grows, so does your ability to share insight.

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